Snow impacts State 4A, 2A semifinals

The 4A and 2A State semifinal football games scheduled for Albi Stadium this afternoon have been postponed and will be played Monday at the Tacoma Dome, the WIAA announced late Friday afternoon.

Greater Spokane League secretary Randy Ryan said efforts to remove snow Friday from the Albi turf became futile as the temperature rose. And with more snow forecasted through the evening and today, Ryan said it became apparent the field could not be made playable.

The 2A game between East Valley (7-5) and Tumwater (10-1) will be played Monday at 2 p.m., followed at 5 by the 4A game between Ferris (12-0) and Bellarmine Prep (11-1).

It means a turnaround for Bellarmine Prep and Tumwater. Both teams traveled to Spokane on Friday in preparation for the anticipated games at Albi Stadium.

The 2B semifinal featuring Colfax (11-0) and Waitsburg-Prescott (12-0), scheduled for today at 1 p.m. at Martin Stadium in Pullman, and the 1B matchup between Almira-Coulee/Hartline (11-0) and Cusick (11-1), at Roos Field in Cheney at 3 today, will be played as scheduled.

When Ferris coach Jim Sharkey was contacted around 5:30 p.m. on Friday about the postponement, he thought the caller was joking.

“I’m shell-shocked,” Sharkey said. “I don’t know how they can do this but they are. It’s out of our control.”

Sharkey met with his assistant coaches in the evening to plan on how and when Ferris would travel to Tacoma.

“It’s just crazy right now with the phone calls that are coming in and everything else,” Sharkey said. “We’re going to meet and figure out what we’re going to do. We’ve got to figure out the best way to handle it and go.”

Sharkey wondered that if the Saxons win if the WIAA would reschedule the championship game, which is scheduled for Dec. 4 at the Tacoma Dome.

Ryan said city workers had no difficulty removing snow on Wednesday. But as the temperature rose on Friday, equipment bogged down as the snow compacted and became icy.

The Spokane School District brought in four-wheel-drive tractors. The blade had to be held an inch above the turf to keep from damaging the field, so the tractors also couldn’t clear the surface, Ryan said.

“We made a decision at about 4:30 that the field was unplayable,” Ryan said.

A secondary issue was pipes in stadium restrooms and a pipe in one of the locker rooms burst.

“The city workers did everything they could,” Ryan said. “They were able to remove the snow Wednesday because it was dry. It became compact and icy (Friday) because of the wet nature of the snow.”

EV coach Adam Fisher was scrambling trying to make travel plans.

“Just like anything, you’ve got to adjust and overcome,” Fisher said.